Kalispell drops Calgary, falls to Lethbridge in the 25th Annual Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament

By DILLON TABISH/The Daily Inter Lake

WHITEFISH - The conference records didn't change on Wednesday, but the Kalispell Lakers and Lethbridge Elks showed just how powerful they can be down the final stretch of the American Legion AA baseball season.

For the time being, it's advantage Lethbridge, but Kalispell isn't far off.

The Lakers led off the 25th Annual Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament with an 8-1 victory over the Calgary Blues at Memorial Park in the first of two games for the red and white. Righthander Mat O'Brien fueled the Lakers' victory with six strikeouts and a pair of RBI singles.

But in the following game, Lethbridge and the hard-throwing Derek Grubel brought the Lakers down to Earth with an 11-3 win in five innings via the 8-run rule. The Elks piled on five runs in the first inning and Grubel worked a no-hitter into the fifth until Kalispell's Ben Sansaver beat out a grounder for a single. Three batters later, Zane Riding crushed a 2-run home run but Kalispell's too-little-too-late rally ended thereafter.

"I know Kalispell and us we're definitely trying to gear up for conference so it's a good opportunity to see a lot of different players play," Lethbridge coach Scott Oikawa said.

With the state tournament only three weekends away, Lethbridge (12-4 in league) sits in second place in Western AA with Kalispell (13-5) an inch behind. Both teams have sealed a spot in the tournament as the top four clubs advance. But what remains to be seen is which club gains the most momentum.

Kalispell recently split a doubleheader in Lethbridge and will face the Elks once more in an important twinbill next Tuesday at home.

"Tuesday's pretty big," Oikawa said. "We've had some pretty good battles with Kalispell in the past, so hopefully we can psychologically have a little better outlook coming in now."

"It was a poor effort on our part as far as coming out and competing," Kalispell coach Ryan Malmin said. "We got down early and that kind of set the tone for the rest of the game and that's unfortunate.

"We need to do a better job of hitting," he added. "And just overall, we need to come out and do a better job of competing."

Malmin cited the performance of O'Brien as one of the bright spots on the day.

"I started off kinda shaky but coach just told me to settle down and I finished it," O'Brien said of the opening game of the tournament.

"We got a lot of conference games coming up so I'm just trying to do what I can for the team."

Kalispell 8, Calgary 1

Kalispell 310 004 0 - 8 6 2

Calgary 100 000 0 - 1 3 7

Mat O'Brien and Zach Brosten and Greg Seaman (6). Tynan Flegg, Cory Hicks (7) and Nick Savoy. WP - O'Brien (6 strikeouts, 3 walks); LP - Flegg.

KALISPELL - Dean Stimpson 1-2, Ben Sansaver 0-3, Michael O'Connell 1-3, Pat Hergesheimer 0-4, Zach Brosten 0-3, Mario Venturini 0-1, Mat O'Brien 2-3, Toby Liechti 0-1, Joe Pistorese 1-3, Greg Seaman 0-0.

2B - Stimpson; RBI - O'Brien 2, Stimpson, O'Connell, Pistorese.

CALGARY - Nick Savoy 0-4, Quinn Johnsen 0-3, Tyler Warner 0-2, Eric Ranson 0-1, Riley Schaaf 1-1, Travis Sormaz 0-2, Collin Toews 1-2, Stewart Barcelo 0-1, C.J. Hendrickson 1-1, Russell Marjerrison 0-2, Tynan Flegg 0-3, Eric Fitzsimmons 1-3.

Lethbridge 11, Kalispell 3

Kalispell 000 03 - 3 3 2

Lethbridge 503 3x - 11 9 0

Bryant Eickert, Hergesheimer (4) and Greg Seaman. Derek Grubel and Sheldon Haughian. WP - Grubel (1 strikeout, 7 walks); LP - Eickert.

KALISPELL - Blaine Matulevich 0-3, Ben Sansaver 1-3, Michael O'Connell 0-2, Pat Hergesheimer 1-2, Zane Ridings 1-3, Mat O'Brien 0-0, Bryant Eickert 0-1, Greg Seaman 0-1, Mario Venturini 0-3, Joe Pistorese 0-1.

HR - Ridings; RBI - Ridings 2, Hergesheimer.

LETHBRIDGE - Kim Barthel 1-2, Mark Clauson 0-2, Tanner Grandberg 2-3, Spencer Farrell 0-2, Dillon Houghton 1-2, Sheldon Haughian 1-1, Cole Stober 1-2, Tyler Hudson 0-1, Pat Maclean 1-2, Tyler Czech 1-2.

HR - Grandberg, Czech; 2B - Barthel; RBI - Grandberg 3, Maclean 3, Stober 2, Haughian, Czech.

Schedule

25th Annual Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament

Today

9 a.m. - Glacier Twins vs. Lethbridge Elks

11:45 a.m. - Spokane Blue Devils vs. Lethbridge Elks

2:30 p.m. - Calgary Blues vs. Spokane Blue Devils

5:15 p.m. - Pullman Patriots vs. Kalispell Lakers

8 p.m. - Glacier Twins vs. Pullman Patriots

Friday

9 a.m. - Kalispell Lakers vs. Spokane Blue Devils

11:45 a.m. - Spokane Blue Devils vs. Pullman Patriots

2:30 p.m. - Calgary Blues vs. Lethbridge Elks

5:15 p.m. - Glacier Twins vs. Calgary Blues

8 p.m. - All Star Game

Saturday

9 a.m. - Pullman Patrios vs. Calgary Blues

11:45 a.m. - Glacier Twins vs. Kalispell Lakers

2:30 p.m. - 3rd vs. 3rd

5:15 p.m. - 2nd vs. 2nd

8 p.m. - 1st vs. 1st